


just like that

by fullmctal



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Drunkenness, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, roy being ed's savior from a creepy dude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-26 10:37:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12057252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmctal/pseuds/fullmctal
Summary: This bar wasn’t Roy’s type of place, but it was the new spot in town and the rest of the men had all wanted to try it out. Roy tended to enjoy bars that had more of an… shall he say,oldercrowd.Roy runs into Ed unexpectedly at a bar after work. What could possibly go wrong?





	just like that

It was just an after work drink. 

Well, actually, more like an after _dinner_ drink. But whatever, he wasn’t bothering with logistics. He just wanted a damn drink. And honestly, after such a long and positively downright _grueling_ day at work, he deserved one. Paperwork, paperwork, followed by even more paperwork. It hadn’t been exactly difficult work, but hell, it had been tiring – there was only so long that the man could stand staring at a piece of paper, really. That’s right: the Colonel Roy Mustang deserved a drink, and he deserved one now, _dammit._ At least, that’s what he told himself as he strode inside the dimly-lit bar, fully prepared to simply spend the rest of the evening relaxed and knocking back a few cold ones.

“Ah, Colonel! So glad you could finally make it!”

Roy flashed his usual devastatingly charming smile (at least, in his mind it was always a winner) as he was greeted, beginning to unbutton his jacket. Nevermind the fact that he’d had to work late to finish up a few things while the rest of the men had beelined for the exit the very minute it had turned to five o’clock. Typical. “Yes, I’m _so_ sure you were all awaiting my arrival quite anxiously,” Roy nodded crisply at the group of empty beer steins that had already accumulated in a cluster atop the bar counter, holding his coat with one arm and pulling out a barstool with the other. They were like a pack of dogs in the middle of a desert who had finally stumbled across a watering hole. It would've been sickening if he didn't feel exactly the same way.

The entire gang had already arrived, of course. Breda, Havoc, Armstrong, and Fuery were all gathered together around said bar counter and empty steins, faces tipsily plastered with lopsided and aloof grins. Lieutenant Hawkeye was nowhere to be seen, another boys’ night in the works. Roy wasn’t the least bit surprised that they were half-drunk already. And it was definitely very against protocol to be drinking in their uniforms like this, _definitely._ They were being bad, very bad. And Roy was very ready to be very bad, too.

“Definitely, Colonel… On the edge of our seats waiting for you! Anyway, Fuery’s been eyeing that brunette over there,” Havoc took a swig from his mug and nodded towards what _appeared_ to be a dance floor. Roy let his gaze follow the man’s nod, licking his lips. All that he could make out were a bunch of young bodies pressed together; laughing drunkenly, having the time of their lives, probably. Oh, to be young and carefree again. To actually enjoy being in a crowd like _that_ again. Not something that the Colonel could say that he missed, exactly. He clicked his tongue against his teeth absentmindedly and wondered how they even had the room to breathe in that mess.

“Oh yes… that brunette over there… _Got_ it,” the Colonel deadpanned with a smirk, gaze moving back to his co-worker. There were probably _twenty_ ‘brunette girls’ over where Havoc had nodded towards, pressed close together and flush up against one another on the dance floor in their little clusters.

“Yeah!” Fuery responded a bit too enthusiastically. He took another gulp from his beer, the epitome of liquid courage as he then said, “I’m going to go ask her to dance. Wish me luck, boys.”

Breda chuckled, eyebrow perked as the man spun around to face them from where he’d been ordering another drink and chatting up the bartender. “Isn’t she a little young for you?”

But Fuery was already up and on his way, a drunken swagger to his step as he started to meander his way through the crowd. Roy let out a laugh along with Breda as the two knocked elbows, wriggling his eyebrows playfully and after getting the attention of the bartender ordered himself a beer. Ah yes, there would quite a deal of catching up to partake in on his end.

“There he goes, there he goes…” Havoc gave the others a play-by-play, watching Fuery make his move intently, leaning forward on his barstool for a better view. It would’ve been cruel if only it weren’t so damn funny, and Roy found himself tapping gloved fingertips against the bar counter, awaiting the arrival of his drink so he could hurry up and watch the entertainment for himself. “And… and… ooooh,” Havoc continued, ever the savior, “She looks like she’s kinda into it. Yeah, yeah! She’s, y’know, actually talking to him. She’s smiling a little. She’s really a looker, a total looker. He’s... did he just pat her arm? He’s actin’ kinda funny. How many beers did he even have? Oh. _Oh._ What the hell is – what the hell is he doing?! Why is he waving his arms like that? Now she’s.. she doesn’t look happy. Uhhhh. She’s _very_ not happy. She just turned around, and she’s walking.. in the opposite direction. Okay, she turned and walked away. Now he’s just standing there. …Try, and... fail. Miserable fail. Don’t even look. That one was painful to watch, boys.”

Roy followed Havoc’s gaze in amusement to get a view, because _god_ , wouldn’t that be rich – but Fuery had already disappeared into the crowd somehow. Clapping a hand on Havoc’s back, the Colonel shook his head, taking a swig of his drink before promptly placing it down once more.

“I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll keep a look out for him, maybe try to raise his defeated spirits a bit,” Roy grinned. “Do not. Drink. My. Beer,” he added in afterthought over his shoulder, giving them both the eye. There would be some _hell_ to pay if the Colonel returned to an empty glass. They were at least tipsy, and he _knew_ how his co-workers got when they were tipsy. 

This bar wasn’t Roy’s usual type of place, but it was the new spot in town and the rest of the men had all wanted to try it out. And who could blame them, really? It was bustling with energy, filled to the brim with excitement, or so it seemed. Roy tended to enjoy bars that had more of an… shall he say, _older_ crowd. ... Sophisticated? Maybe sophisticated was more the word. A _sophisticated_ crowd. Not that he was into MILFS or anything like that (well, maybe if they were _really_ attractive, he didn’t necessarily have a preference when it came to beautiful women), but everyone in this crowd seemed to be in their early twenties or _younger_. He felt sort of like a creep just walking _by_ these girls, slithering over each other in some of the tiniest skirts known to man – some of them looked barely legal. And some of the men who were nearly on top of them certainly did seem like the creepy kind. As Roy made his way through the throngs of people, he attempted to locate the bathroom, keeping an eye out for Fuery and noticing that it seemed to be only the females that were young; all of the males in the place were older. Well, that was a little unsettling. Was he considered part of the ‘old man’ crowd at this place too? Lovely.

 _That’s_ when he saw him. 

At first glance, you would think he was almost one of these young girls, the prey of an older horny man who was looking for a piece of ass. And Roy was beginning to think that yes, he was just seeing things - this wasn't Edward, of course not. 

But that blonde hair was unmistakable. 

What the hell was _Edward_ doing here?

Edward Elric stood there in all his glory, clad in possibly the tightest black pants Roy had ever seen, along with his usual tank top. Familiar small upturned nose, flushed cheeks. Gone was the usual telltale braid, however. His hair was actually _down_ (for once!), and fell across his shoulders and back like a golden halo. 

What was a sixteen-year-old doing in a skeevy bar? Edward was MUCH too young to be in a place like this, Roy thought to himself in disbelief. How the hell did he even get in here! Suddenly forgetting entirely about his need to use the toilet, out of instinct Roy instantly began to make his way over toward the boy. The Colonel pushed his way through bodies, eyes on Ed, intent on getting the boy the hell outta there as quickly as humanly possible. But then he saw something that made him stop. 

Ed wasn’t alone. 

In fact, there was a larger someone leaning down over Ed, handing him a drink. This someone had his _hand_ on Ed’s lower back, and Roy watched as this someone leaned down to pull Ed closer, so that their hips were nearly touching. 

This someone was a man. 

Roy stood there in shock. What was happening here? And how had he managed to run into this, of all things, during his after-dinner drinks?! Here he was, standing here and not really knowing what to do, or if Ed was even okay with this VERY much older man putting his hands on the boy. The Colonel cleared his throat although his eyes stayed glued to the scene before him. Okay, maybe he was seeing things. Having hallucinations? Conjuring up images in his mind? Surely, this could not be real. Was he really getting that old? Senile, even? God help him.

Blinking, Roy realized that the sight before him looked much, much too real. Ed looked flushed, his hair slightly askew, and he looked sort of embarrassed, like he didn’t know what to do with himself. His big eyes just looked up at the unknown older man curiously; young, innocent. Wanting, possibly. This was an expression that Roy himself had never seen on the boy before. Could Ed actually want that, want the man’s touch? Roy stood still, glued to his spot as a million thoughts raced through his mind. That’s when the older man put his hand even lower, and squeezed Ed’s ass. 

The moments after that were a blur. 

It came in fragments. Roy remembered grabbing the shoulder of the man (vaguely), and not very gently, and Ed shouting something in the background. He also remembered shoving the man rather roughly to the ground (not one of his finest moments, lets hope no one saw that one), yelling something along the lines of “THIS IS A MINOR GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM”, taking Ed by the shoulder and wasting no more time in swiftly dragging him out of the bar. 

“What the HELL was that for!” the boy huffed once outside, breaking away from Roy’s clutch and rubbing his shoulder as if he’d been burned. A scalding burn, even. The corners of Roy’s mouth twitched. It had been a bit of a hustle to even get him out of the damn place, the scene now behind them both, everything having happened in a whirlwind. “You hurt my shoulder! You fucking bastard!”

Roy looked incredulously at the boy, furious. “FullMetal, I do not _believe_ that you are _old enough_ to be in a place like this!” he glanced back towards the door. “How did you even get in there?” he asked through gritted teeth, gloved hands clenched at his sides as he tried his best to make sense of whatever the hell he had just witnessed.

Edward narrowed his eyes at the Colonel and nearly bared his teeth as he took a stumbling step backward from Roy. “Since when are you my fucking mom, huh?!”

The elder of the two took a deep, even breath, trying to calm himself. _Think calm thoughts, Roy. Think calm thoughts. Don’t overreact. Even though he’s a demonic little blonde shithead most of the time, he’s still only a boy. Be calm. Handle this rationally._ Easier said than done. But he found himself saying, “Well you do _work_ for me, FullMetal.” He was impressed at the tone of his own voice given the circumstances.

The color seemed to drain from Ed’s face just then, and his shoulders fell to a slack. Suddenly he looked every bit the child that he was – although only in age, really – awkwardly standing there in front of Roy, unsure of how to respond. The funny thing about Edward Elric was that despite his little outbursts and his lack of height, the boy had gone through much more than most adults would in their entire lifetime. And he (most of the time) had a higher intelligence than all other adults in a room put together (a genius, really). Roy (usually) did not forget that.

“You can’t tell anyone,” Ed got out, not sounding like himself, looking up into Roy’s face with somewhat of a pleading expression. And this, oh, this – _this_ was a change indeed. Edward Elric, actually pleading with Colonel Roy Mustang? This _had_ to be a first. The boy’s hands were still bunched into little fists despite his expression, and Roy could tell that Ed’s emotions were still a mix of embarrassment and anger, riding on a fine line. And of course, even in his state of disbelief at finding _Edward Elric_ dancing in a bar with a _man_ – a man much too old for him, at that – the Colonel could appreciate the fact that Edward was probably feeling _incredibly_ embarrassed and very.. confused. Especially at his age.

Roy sighed and shook his head at the boy. “Go home, Edward. I better never see you out here a—”

“Hey!” came a shout suddenly from somewhere behind him, “There you are! Who the fuck do you think you are, pal?” the gruff voice made Roy spin around and protectively push Ed back behind him without thinking twice about the action. Jesus, what the fuck was wrong with this guy? It was the very man who had been practically MOLESTING Ed in the bar, and he looked very, _very_ angry. Roy stood his ground between the two, making sure to block Ed from the older man and using his own body as a shield, a prickle of anger shooting down his spine.

“Excuse me?” Roy questioned, doing his best to keep his voice level and meeting the man’s eyes dead center. This guy had some fucking nerve, and once again Roy had to tell himself to _keep his cool._ At least for the moment. What an oxymoron given he dealt with heat. “He isn’t interested. And I would highly advise you to leave him alone.”

This seemed to light a spark, angering the man even further and he took a step towards Roy, eyes flashing darkly in a combination of pure rage and something else entirely – alcohol influenced, that much was certain. Roy cursed the fact that he’d arrived to the bar so damn late. How did he know that he hadn’t missed something else before he’d arrived? What else had this man done to Edward? How else had this man touched _Edward?_ “And who are YOU to tell me who the fuck I can touch, you military shithead?! Gimme back the boy, we were busy,” he gruffed out. 

And those words put the _worst_ images in Roy’s mind, and really, did this man have a fucking death wish? 

“Do you realize that this _boy_ you were so very inappropriately touching is only a _teenager?_ And do you realize who you are speaking to? I suggest you go back inside and never lay another finger on this boy again, or you will sincerely regret it,” Roy said back warningly, low and even. 

Something in the air shifted a bit, as if the man standing so menacingly before him had a realization. The tone must have held some convincing authority, as the stranger didn’t seem to think this was much of an argument worth fighting anymore; and just like that, the quickly ignited spark seemed to distinguish. Pausing for a moment, the man held Roy’s gaze; his eyes flickered briefly over Roy’s shoulder as if looking for Edward, which only had Roy clenching and unclenching his hands. The man, still heaving, rolled his eyes before promptly spitting at Roy’s feet. “Fine, you can have him, I hope you have a guhREAT lay tonight, asswipe,” and with that he turned and made his way back into the bar. 

Well, that turned out a bit easier than Roy had been expecting. Slightly.

Roy hadn’t realized how hard he had been breathing until the man left, and he spun back to face the blonde boy. “Come with me,” he commanded, turning on his heel and fully expecting Edward to follow. 

~

Edward was mumbling something to himself as he fell into step after Roy. The Colonel couldn’t exactly make out what the boy was saying, instead choosing not to question it as he led Ed to his shiny black military car, stopping there simply with the words “Get in.”

Ed furrowed his brow but did as he was commanded, shutting the car too a little too loudly. 

As Roy got in the car Ed risked a glance at him before promptly turning to look directly out the passenger window, the back of his head to Roy. Roy couldn’t help but admire the boy’s hair for a moment, and maybe he’d never realized how truly ... pretty it really was. God, what the hell was he saying? He’d just found the boy nearly getting raped, for fuck’s sake! This was certainly not the time to be admiring whatever Edward Elric had growing out of his head.

“You’re lucky I ran into you when I did,” Roy suddenly breathed, turning to the smaller boy as he shut the door behind him. 

Ed stayed silent, still next to him, and god, was tonight just a night of firsts? Not only had Ed pleaded with Roy of all people, but now the boy was actually staying quiet! It was a miracle, truly. Except for that it was also very, very irritating, especially when Roy had just practically saved his ass. Imagine it – Edward Elric being silent, _irritating_. It was another complete oxymoron to Roy’s mind. 

“Well, aren’t you going to say something? Or are you going to sit there and sulk because I pulled you away from that creep?” Roy questioned, the tone of impatience slight in his voice although there was something else there as well. Curiosity, worry – he didn’t know what it was, to be quite honest. All Roy knew was that he really, _really_ did not like the sight that he had just so unfortunately encountered. 

“I want to go home,” Ed finally said, simply but quietly, voice a little off. Hoarse. When Roy said nothing, the boy finally whipped toward him, eyes flashing at the Colonel and blonde hair mussed. “Did you not hear me, you royal bastard?! Take me home!”

Setting his jaw, Roy eyed him, not yet starting the car. “You know, a simple thank you would have sufficed.”

This, in particular, set Ed off. “Are you – are you _serious!_ ” the boy sputtered, leaning forward slightly across the passenger seat as if he couldn’t contain himself from practically jumping at Roy. “You had no business doing that! None! Just – just – I didn’t expect to see you here! You won’t.. You won’t tell anyone. Right? I just – I don’t know how it happened, okay? It’s not that I’m _gay_ , or anything. I just .. you know, heard about this place, some of the others at the dorms were talking about it and then Al mentioned it to me. And I knew I couldn’t take Al, I knew I couldn’t, and just.. out of nowhere, I had the urge to do something normal, okay? Something that a normal person my age does! And I thought that maybe I could just sneak in, just check it out.. and then that – that guy, he sort of. Uh. He grabbed me, when I was going to the bathroom, okay? He told me I was like – _beautiful_ , or something stupid, and tried to kiss me a little and grab me or whatever. That’s all that happened, okay?! I didn’t even want it really, it all happened so quick and took me by surprise and then you were there out of nowhere and – _Look_ , I didn’t need your help! I could have handled it myself. I would have been fine,” Edward finally finished his ramble and half-apology, going quiet and slumping back in his seat as he dropped golden hues to his hands. One flesh, one automail. 

There was silence for a moment, the Colonel replaying the scenario in his mind, gloved hands clenching slightly in his lap before, “I know you didn’t need my help, FullMetal. And I know you don’t need my protection.”

“Can you just call me Ed,” the huff came. “We’re sitting outside a bar and you just saw some perv grope my ass, for fuck’s sake. I think you can call me Ed.”

The request had Roy’s eyebrows lifting, pressing his lips together as he attempted to make sense of whatever the hell was happening here. His mind strayed briefly to the mug of beer inside with his name on it, wondering if the fools he considered friends had decided yet that he’d been gone long enough to have a go at it. 

“You know, I was about to enjoy a perfectly good night until I ran into you getting groped up in plain sight,” Roy’s words were cool, another sigh escaping the man as he gave into the fact that he was going to have to leave that delicious, full glass of beer to drive this confused, irritating, pretty teenager back to his dorm.

When had he begun regularly referring to Edward in his mind as pretty?

“You bastard!” the endless ball of energy beside him spat, suddenly throwing open the door of the car and escaping in an instant. Roy cursed to himself, throwing open his own door, feeling _very_ much like the parent scolding his teenage son in this situation. And he had sworn to himself that he wouldn’t have kids.

“Just where do you think you’re going?” Roy’s voice rang out, shutting the vehicle’s door and taking two strides around the front of the car where Edward had been attempting to escape, although the boy didn’t seem to be trying to get much further away. His blonde hair whipped around him in the night’s wind as Ed spun in place to face the Colonel, cheeks still flushed and eyes wild. 

“You’re not my mom! Or my dad! Or any of them! Or have you forgotten?! I don’t need your nose sticking into my business even when we’re _not_ at work! I don’t .. I don’t – Colonel – ” the boy’s words faltered as Roy stepped closer, suddenly crowding Edward up against the hood of the sleek black car; _god_ , this boy was stubborn. Stubborn, impatient, feisty – these were all the words that described Edward Elric, and Roy should have known that nothing would ever be easy with Ed. Nothing.

“You’re being very difficult, FullMetal,” Roy murmured, and Edward lifted his hands up as if to say _what are you doing_ as the Colonel finally had the boy backed up all the way, the backs of Ed’s legs hitting the cool metal of the car. “I know you didn’t want him touching you,” came the words finally, low and quiet, Roy’s expression unreadable before the Colonel finally turned and stepped away.

Edward’s hands pressed against the hood of the car, bracing himself against it for a moment, his breathing coming out raggedly before he pushed himself up. “You’re right,” he finally said breathlessly, looking away and thumbing his own palms. “I didn’t. So, uh – thank you, for that, or .. Whatever. Thanks. Just go back in there and enjoy your night or whatever it was I interfered with, you bastard,” the words had no bite to them, Edward chewing at the inside of his cheek as he’d finally surrendered to admit that he was actually thankful for the little show Roy had put on in there with separating the two. “I’ll figure out a way home.”

Roy would’ve have marveled at the sudden maturity coming from the elder Elric boy, if only he wasn’t suddenly very _torn_ about what to do in his current situation. Nodding, the Colonel made to turn on his heel to re-enter the bar – he’d done his good deed for the evening, right? No need to keep worrying about it, right? Time to go back in, kick back, relax and have a nice cold one... Just like he’d been intending to all along...

“Get back in the car, FullMetal,” Roy’s feet took him the opposite direction than he actually desired to go, finding himself yanking open the driver’s side door once more and sliding in without another word.

Edward seemed to hesitate, lingering on the edge of a decision; Roy started up the engine, waiting patiently and figuring that hey, his drink was _probably_ gone by now, anyway. Not to mention he hadn’t exactly been enjoying that damn bar in the first place, right? He sighed to himself, one hand curling around the steering wheel, the corners of his mouth quirking upward just slightly as he heard the passenger door finally open once more. Ah, sweet, sweet victory. The victories always tasted that much sweeter than it involved a certain Fullmetal alchemist.

The ride was quiet; Roy found that it was peaceful, in a way, after the ruckus that had just occurred behind them. Edward was a silent vision of blonde in the seat beside him, and as Roy had only his thoughts to keep him company for the moment, he couldn’t help the one that flickered through his mind – that Edward was very attractive. Of course, he’d always known this.. or at least, had always been aware. Yes, the boy’s good looks were evident; and it was a wonder that Edward didn’t see them himself, which Roy had a suspicious feeling that he didn’t. Under that hard exterior, those feisty words and witty comebacks – Roy had a hunch that this boy had absolutely no _clue_ how breathtakingly beautiful he was. That he was _surprised_ at the idea of a stranger in a bar wanting to hit on him, finding him attractive.

When had Roy begun to refer to Edward as beautiful? Breathtaking?

The older of the two cleared his throat, rounding a corner, fingertips moving the wheel smoothly before the next words startled him from his thoughts.

“Can we – I mean, is it ... is it alright if we just go back to your place? I sort of – uh ... I dunno if I can face Al right now, I just. He’ll be able to tell that something happened and – I don’t wanna tell him. I don’t want him to worry,” the mumble was of a bravado attempting to sound much more sure than it was relayed. “I mean, it’s not like I _actually_ want to go back to your bachelor pad, it’s probably like.. Messy and gross but,” the look of hopefulness the came Roy’s way had the Colonel’s eyebrows rising just slightly, letting his gaze move over to Edward before returning to look straight ahead. But he didn’t question it any further.

“Of course,” came Roy’s response, his tone softer than it had been earlier, and Edward seemed to relax into the seat at that, pleased with himself. The rest of the ride was again silent.

~

**Author's Note:**

> slight disclaimer: i wrote this years ago and just found it again, but since i've just recently started to post my writing, i decided i liked it enough to include it here. so if its a little rusty, that's why. :) probably going to continue this!


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